| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit, and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for God. | 1Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification in the fear of God. |
| 2Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we have ruined no one, we have exploited no one. | 2Accept us. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one. |
| 3I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before that you are in our hearts so that we die together and live together with you. | 3I don't say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together. |
| 4I have great confidence in you; I take great pride on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in the midst of all our suffering. | 4I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions. |
| 5For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way--struggles from the outside, fears from within. | 5In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears inside. |
| 6But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. | 6But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, |
| 7We were encouraged not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you gave him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your deep concern for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever. | 7and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. |
| 8For even if I made you sad by my letter, I do not regret having written it (even though I did regret it, for I see that my letter made you sad, though only for a short time). | 8For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it--even though I did regret it since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a little while. |
| 9Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. | 9Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn't experience any loss from us. |
| 10For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death. | 10For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death. |
| 11For see what this very thing, this sadness as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what punishment! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. | 11For consider how much diligence this very thing--this grieving as God wills--has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter. |
| 12So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf before God. | 12So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your diligence for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God. |
| 13Therefore we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because all of you have refreshed his spirit. | 13For this reason we have been comforted. In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you. |
| 14For if I have boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been embarrassed by you, but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus about you has proved true as well. | 14For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth. |
| 15And his affection for you is much greater when he remembers the obedience of you all, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. | 15And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling. |
| 16I rejoice because in everything I am fully confident in you. | 16I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you. |
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